Referral Unnecessary for H1N1 Vaccine

Tricare has temporarily suspended the need for prior authorization and referral to receive the H1N1 vaccine from any Tricare-authorized provider.  What this means is that you can go to a Tricare-authorized provider to get the H1N1 vaccine without seeing your primary care provider first.  With some areas experiencing a scarcity of the vaccine, this will allow you to get the vaccine from the providers who have it without waiting and possibly missing your opportunity.  Pharmacists are not considered Tricare-authorized providers and therefore you will not be able to use this benefit at a pharmacy vaccination clinic.

This page from the CDC provides additional information about Tricare and the H1N1 vaccine - scroll down to find the Tricare section.

This temporary change to policy is only in effect from October 1, 2009 to April 30, 2010.

Tricare Prime at your MTF

Faithful reader Marv, in Delaware, pointed out this interesting post in a recent MOAA email newsletter:

You could be Bounced from TRICARE Prime.

A new DoD policy aimed at “cleaning up” TRICARE Prime enrollment at military treatment facilities (MTF) could mean some significant changes for many Prime enrollees.

TRICARE has long had established travel access standards to help beneficiaries receive timely health care. The standards require that enrollees shouldn’t be assigned a primary care manager (PCM) at a military hospital or clinic that’s more than a 30-minute drive from the beneficiary’s home address.

As a practical matter, DoD never really enforced that policy. But it will be enforced now.

If they want to continue to be seen in the MTF, current Prime enrollees in the U.S. who live farther away than a 30-minute drive from the MTF will have to request a waiver of the drive-time standard from the MTF commander or the TRICARE Regional Office. Drive times will be determined by a computer program similar to MapQuest. Approved waivers will have to be renewed annually from now on.

Unless they apply for and are granted a waiver before October 1, enrollees who live more than 30 minutes (but less than 40 miles) from the MTF will be assigned a civilian primary care manager closer to their residence. Absent a waiver, those who live more than 40 miles from the MTF will be disenrolled from Prime and revert to TRICARE Standard as of October 1.

TRICARE contractors are mailing letters to all affected beneficiaries, providing detailed instructions on the waiver process.

I did a quick search on Google Maps and discovered that I live 26 minutes from my MTF.  While I do have occasional gripes with my MTF, I really don't want the hassle and inconvenience of changing my family's medical situation right now.  This is sure to be an interesting topic - keep your eyes out for more news as this develops.

Can Fitness Be Frugal and Successful?

(This is an adaptation of a post at SpouseBUZZ.)

I have reached a point where I need to do something drastic about my exercise and body.  I don't have the energy I should, my health is not as good as it could be, and I'm tired of feeling lousy when I see pictures of myself.

Being the planning geek that I am, I was making a little chart of my options and their pros and cons.  My ideas included continuing to do what I'm doing now but being more dedicated, joining a gym, joining a gym and getting some sessions with one of their personal trainers, or doing one of those intensive one trainer - one client places.  As you can see, I've listed them in order from least cost to highest cost, which unfortunately is exactly the opposite order of how likely they are to be successful.  I was struggling with the balance between cost and results.   On one hand, why should I pay money for something I should be able to do by myself?  On the other hand, doing it myself hasn't exactly been working, and you can't really put a price on my health.  I'm sure many of you struggle with this question as well.

On Wednesday, I had a free introductory workout at a Fitness Together about 1/2 mile from my house.  My brother runs a Fitness Together studio (in Alexandria, tell him I sent you :) and while he admits that it is expensive, he says that it is the best program he's ever worked with and it will definitely work for me.  (Being my brother, he also mentioned that I might want to lay off the wine and McDonalds, but that is another story.)  The studio was very nice and I liked having the individual attention of a trainer who could get all my weights right and make sure I was using good form.  On the other hand, I'm still a little confused about how you can get results with such a small amount of work.  I guess it is all about quality over quantity.  They advertise the advantage of being alone in the workout space.  That isn't really an issue for me  but I can see how that is really valuable for some people.  Of course, this type of personalized attention comes with a hefty price tag.  I decided I would have to think about it and explore my other options.

I was chatting with a friend yesterday about my dilemma, and how I probably needed to go check out the three gyms in my smallish town and that I needed to not procrastinate.  She mentioned that the local Naval Station had a gym (duh!) and she thought that they had personal trainers there.  It is about 15 minutes from my house, versus 5 minutes for the Fitness Together, but I'm down that way pretty regularly going to the commissary, the bank, and all those other chores that just need to be done on base.  On my way to the commissary, I stopped in and checked it out.  The facilities are free (bonus!) and while the spaces aren't fancy or even really appealing, they have all the equipment I need to get some strength training.  Plus, they have a small collection of classes and they have a personal trainer who is less than 1/3 the price of Fitness Together.  I feel that the expense of a personal trainer is worth it to me right now because what I've been doing alone hasn't been working.

I'm going to give the Naval Station gym a shot.  You can't beat the price, and I might actually keep food in the house if I'm driving by the commissary three times a week.  They don't have child care, so I'm not sure what I'll do once summer comes, but I figure I'll give it a shot for the next 7 weeks until school gets out.  That should be a decent amount of time to see if this plan works for me.  If it doesn't, I'll have to reconsider the more expensive options.  I hope that this balance of price, convenience and effectiveness is a winner!

I'm at an odd place where the money isn't quite as important as the results, but I still don't want to spend money unnecessarily or wastefully.   I would love to hear if you have any other ideas about ways that we can keep our bodies fit and healthy without making our wallets unfit or unhealthy.

Interesting Stuff from the Bureau of Labor Statistics

The Bureau of Labor Statistics website is a treasure chest of info for geeky types like me.  If you click on the consumers link on the left hand side, you can then click through to find average spending for various groups broken down by income level, family size, and age group.  I find this fascinating from a purely educational point of view.  I don't think that this report means that I need to run out and spend $376 on tobacco and smoking supplies, but it is interesting to see where our spending is near to or far from the national averages.

Another thing that is useful about reading these BLS charts is that it shows you how the federal government breaks down budget categories.  I've often wondered how to budget things:  do I want to put all insurance in one category, or does auto insurance go under transportation and homeowner's insurance go under housing?  You can do whichever works for you, but it is good to think about these things.

Maybe you will find it interesting, too.

More Free Antibiotics (Prenatal Vitamins, too!)

I'm not sure if there's a connection, but I read in my local Giant grocery store advertisement that they are offering free antibiotics now, too.  The list of included medications is available here.  Giant stores are located in Virginia, Maryland, D.C. and Delaware.  If you are not close to a military pharmacy, this might be a way to save on those medications!

According to my research, free antibiotics can now been found at the following chains:

Stop & Shop (Connecticut, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York & Rhode Island)
Publix (Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, Alabama & Tennessee)
United Supermarkets (Texas)
Schnucks (Missouri, Illinois, Indiana, Tennessee, Mississippi & Iowa)
Meijer (Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, Michigan & Kentucky)
Reasor's Foods (Oklahoma)
Giant (Virginia, DC, Maryland & Delaware

The details, including dates of the offer and included antibiotics, varies by store.  Some stores are also offering free prenatal vitamins.

Have any of you tried this offer, or do you know of any other chains with a similiar offer?  Let us know!

Photo by: joguldi

Two Days to Spend FSA Money

For those families that have non-military income, a valuable benefit can be a Flexible Spending Account.  However, they're not a very good benefit if you don't spend the money.  Jim at Blueprint for Financial Prosperity has put together a list of things that you can buy to spend those last few dollars before the deadline tomorrow.  If you're in danger of losing money in your FSA account, check out his list, and add your suggestions in the comments.

Free Antibiotics from Publix

Wow!  If you're in the southeast (Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, Alabama and Tennessee) and you live near a Publix, you can take advantage of their offer to fill prescriptions for selected oral antibiotics for FREE!  Check out this page to learn more.  Included antibiotics include amoxicillin, ampicillin, Cephalexin, Ciprofloxacin (excluding Ciprofloxacin XR), Doxycycline Hyclate (capsules), Erythromycin Stearate and Ethylsuccinate, Penicillin VK, and Sulfamethoxazole/trimethoprim (SMZ-TMP).  You can locate a Public pharmacy at this webpage.  If you aren't near a military treatment facility, this could be a great benefit - convenient and free.

I'd love to know if any of you have tried this offer, and hear about your experiences!

Five Things For Which I'm Thankful: The Financial Edition

With Thanksgiving coming up next week, I've read many articles about being thankful.  As I put together my own list of thankfulness, I noticed that many of the things for which I'm thankful are related to security, and those things are often tied to finances.   Here's how my list looks:

1. Health insurance:  Sure, you will occasionally hear me gripe about Tricare and the military medical system.  I am smart enough to know, however, that what's we've got is a pretty good thing.  The cost is low (or free) and the care is usually quite good.  I take my kids to the doctor's when necessary without worrying about how I'll pay for it, I get the prescriptions that my family needs, and I don't fret about a medical catastrophe ruining my family's financial future.  I know many people in America don't have any insurance at all, and many more people have insurance that isn't as good as ours.  And so, I'm thankful.
2. A spouse who thinks about money pretty much the same way that I think about money:  We've all heard that money causes most of the fights in marriages.  While you won't ever agree on everything, being married to a person who basically has the same financial views can help keep the disagreement to a minimum.  Heck, I can't even remember the last time we disagreed about money.  We do try to keep the lines of communication open, and it is a lot easier to talk to someone who is starting from a similar point of view.  And so, I'm thankful.
3. A safe, adequate house:  We don't live in a McMansion (nor would I want to), and we've lived in some small houses and some big houses.  However, we've always had enough room to eat, sleep and play, and I've never been concerned for our safety.  We've always had heat, even when the thermostat was a little crazy and the temperature was unpredictable.  The occasions when I've had to shower in cold water have been few and it's been quickly fixed.  Whether military housing or on the economy, I've not been worried about homelessness.  And so, I'm thankful.
4. Job security:  For most of our married life, I've been a stay-at-home mom.  Knowing that my husband is going to get paid twice a month makes it a little easier to push through the lean times.  I can't imagine being constantly worried about lay-offs, downsizing, or other things that would decrease or eliminate my husband's income.  It would take a major upset, or a choice by my husband, for his job to end.  Even then, we'd have some advance notice that it was coming - very few military members show up for work one day and are told to pack their stuff and go home.  Even a few months of preparation time would make any transition so much easier.  And so, I'm thankful.
5. Youth:  If you are in the military, you are young, or at least relatively young.  We've still got time to pursue our financial goals and weather the current financial turmoil.  My small retirement savings have shrunk like just like everyone's, but I'm not planning on using it for at least a few decades.  Either it will rebound, or I'll work a little harder to make up the losses.  And so, I'm thankful.

Even when economic times are tough, there are many things for which to be thankful.  So, what's on your list?

USAA Educational Foundation: An Amazing Resource

Do you know about The USAA Educational Foundation?  Created in 1989,  The USAA Educational Foundation is a non-profit organization that provides consumer information publications to military members and the general public.  It is sponsored by USAA, but it does not endorse the products of any particular company.  The Foundation offers online information, downloadable publications, and free hard copy publications on a variety of topics including:

• Choosing, Buying, Selling, Leasing, Insuring and Owning a Vehicle
• Home and Personal Safety
• Insurance
• Financial Planning and Management
• Buying, Selling or Renting a Home
• PCS, Deployment, and Leaving the Military
• Preparing For, Financing, and Succeeding in College
• Elder Care Issues
• Estate Planning and After-Loss Changes

I've enjoyed several of The USAA Educational Foundation's publications and I've found them to be helpful and easy to read.  Click on over to their site and take a look around.  I imagine that you'll find something helpful!

A Tricare Tip

MaintToad1, over at SpouseBUZZ, has written a great post about continuing medical coverage for your children who are aging out of Tricare coverage.  This information is specifically useful if your child has a chronic or urgent medical condition that will make it difficult for them to obtain adequate coverage on their own.  Click on this link to get the scoop on this valuable benefit.